1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an oral care brush for use primarily as a gum massage brush and which also functions as a toothbrush.
2. Description of Background Technology
Natural bristle toothbrushes, primarily using bristles from swine, have been in use for over a century. The first nylon toothbrushes were made in 1938. The use of nylon filaments gained widespread acceptance because of the wars and other world disturbances that interfered with the importation of good natural bristles. Today, the combination of nylon bristles with plastic handles is commonly used by manufacturers. Over the past ten years, dentists have come to favor soft elastomeric bristles over hard nylon bristles as the hard bristles can cause gum trauma. However, the toothbrush handles (including the bristle base portion) are still commonly made of relatively hard plastic.
The use of gum brushes has also been instrumental in fighting periodontal disease including gingivitis and periodontitis. Such chronic bacterial infections can affect both the gums and the bone supporting the teeth. Gum brushes aid in the maintaining of good oral health by massaging and stimulating gum tissue and not allowing plaque to spread and grow below a person""s gum line. They allow for toxins that are produced by bacteria in plaque to be brushed away rather than irritate the gums. With proper brushing and massage, blood flow is stimulated and the toxins in a person""s mouth do not initiate a chronic inflammatory response in which the tissues and bone that support the teeth are broken down and destroyed.
Typical toothbrushes and gum brushes usually have an elongated handle wherein orthogonal bristles extend or protrude from one end of the handle. The problem with this configuration is that because the bristles are attached directly to the handle, which is made of relatively hard material, people with sensitive gums have to be careful using these brushes and insuring that the non-bristle portion does not touch or hurt them. This is not easy for many people to do, and therefore the gums are often subjected to impact from the hard brush handle.
A satisfactory gum massage/tooth cleaning brush must also be comfortable and allow for a thorough cleaning of the teeth and massaging of the gums. It is important for a user to be able to apply pastes, ointments and oils onto a brush head in a manner that allows for maximum application to the desired area. Therefore, there is a need for an oral care brush that is comfortable and efficient for maintaining good oral hygiene.
The present invention provides a new and improved oral care brush that allows for effective massaging and stimulating of the gums and cleaning the teeth of a user, while also preventing deleterious impact of hard material on the gums. The present brush thus provides for effective oral care for persons with sensitive or diseased gums by avoiding aggravating trauma to the gums by the impacts of hard components of prior art brushes.
The present invention is an oral care brush which has a elongated handle to be held by the user and a brush head. The brush head has soft bristles protruding from the outside of the head in the normal brush configuration. The head has an elongated hollow structure, with a hollow interior formed by its side, top and bottom walls. The end of the head distal from the handle is closed, while the end proximal to the handle is open. The end of the handle adjacent the head is configured to fit into the hollow interior of the head through the open end and be retained in that configuration during use. The head is made of a relatively soft material, preferably an elastomeric material such as a silicone polymer. The end of the handle which is received into the hollow head is formed such that it has a sealing function so that air is trapped within the hollow head when the brush handle is inserted into the head. This trapped air acts as an air cushion during use of the brush, such that movements of the handle by the user which would otherwise be transmitted directly to the outer surface of the brush head and thence to the gums and teeth are cushioned by the air, thus reducing the degree of impact of the head upon the gums or teeth. This air cushion effect, combined with the critical softness of the head material, allows the present invention to be used easily, comfortably and effectively by users with gums and teeth sensitivity and disease problems who cannot effectively use prior art brushes or who in the more aggravated situations may not even be able to tolerate use of prior art brushes.
More particularly, the present invention is an oral care brush which has an elongated handle having opposite first and second ends; and a brush head having an open first end and an opposite closed second end, a top and bottom face with a plurality of bristles extending orthogonally from both said top and bottom faces, and a hollow interior for releasably receiving said first end of said handle through said open first end of said head, with the head being composed of a material which is substantially shape-retaining but which is soft and resilient, said first end of said handle being structured such that upon receipt thereof in said hollow interior of said brush head, it cooperates with interior surfaces and said closed second end of said head to entrap a volume of air in said hollow interior of said head; whereby when said oral care brush is used for brushing of teeth or gums, said entrapped volume of air acts as an air cushion and moderates relative movement of said handle and said head, such that in combination with said soft and resilient material composing said head, a user obtains effective massaging and stimulation of the gums in conjunction with effective brushing of the teeth without suffering stress imposed upon the gums.
The brush head has a top face and a bottom face with multiple bristles that extend orthogonally from both of the faces. In the present invention it is critical that the brush head be made of silicone or other soft elastomeric material, and not nylon or other hard polymeric materials in the manner of prior art toothbrushes or gum brushes. Typically the head will be formed as an elongated generally rectangular box, closed at one end as will be illustrated below, but other elongated shapes such as circular or polygonal cylinders can also be used. The exterior bristles will be placed on the outer surface of the head in the appropriate configuration to obtain the cleaning and massaging effect that it is desired to achieve.
A critical feature of the invention is the establishment of an air cushion within the head, to moderate the forces imposed on the brush by the user manipulating the handle which would otherwise be transmitted directly to the user""s gums and teeth. This reduces the traumatic effect of what would be an unmoderated impact on the gums or teeth, which could have a deleterious effect on the gums or teeth, including the likelihood that such unmoderated impact will aggravate a previously existing gum or tooth sensitivity or disease.